Say What You Need To Say
by laurzz
Summary: DannyLindsayLucy. Inspired by a Hallmark commercial for the festive season - one of probably many Christmas oneshots!


**A/N: So, this is a result of epic amounts of squeeing on MSN with Lisa over a Hallmark Christmas commerical. Basically, there was a GOREGOUS baby girl called Lucy in it... - need I say anymore on that one?**

**So, yes, this one is dedicated to Lisa, Megs and Julia. **

**Hope you guys enjoy it; comments and feedback are loved and hugely appreciated. :) **

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Practically skipping into the living room, Lindsay Messer giggled excitedly as she plonked down on the floor and pulled Lucy onto her lap, mindful of the box she still had in her hand.

Danny, who was stood dressing the tree in their apartment for the festive season turned with a smile on his face; highly amused by the childlike state his wife had been in since the clock had turned midnight, three days ago... making it December 1st. A whole fantastic month of late night shopping, gift exchanging, Christmas parties... the whole shebang.

Usually, Danny hated Christmas and the hype that came before it. This year though his opinion had changed slightly. He was almost into the late night shopping, fighting the crowds to get that last Tiny Love Tiny Princess whatever the hell it was called Play Mat that Lucy would probably sit on once, before it got shoved to the back of her practically unused closet that was now a fantastic storage area when guests were coming around and they needed somewhere to shove their clutter... and fast.

But, that was what it was all about when you were playing Santa Clause to your baby girl. Toys that didn't make the cut and disappeared by January; February if they were lucky... And toys that would be the focus point of stories for years to come.

"What's in the box?" Danny asked as he peered across the cluttered floor, covered in boxes of their Christmas ornaments. Some old; and as ancient as his and Lindsay's ages added together, plus a year or two... There was an assortment of decorations that their parents had pulled together as the holiday season approached. And others, others were their own. Brand new for their first Christmas as a family together.

"The last of what my Mom was sending us," Lindsay giggled excitedly as she opened the box carefully.

"Got any idea what it is?" he inquired nonchalantly as he continued to hang baubles on the tree.

"None," Lindsay barked at him, her excitement leaving her with a short fuse almost. "Do you?"

"No, no idea." He said with a lick of his lips. He wasn't going to tell her he was in on it just yet.

"Oh, Lucy! It's so exciting!" Lindsay cried as her fingers fumbled to open the box marked, FRAGILE.

"Need some help there, honey?" Danny laughed as he watched Lindsay struggle with the box.

"I'm fine," she giggled as Lucy sat patiently on her lap, watching her mother. Her brow was furrowed as she glanced at Danny with a small curve to her tiny lips that suggested she was just as amused at her Mommy's antics as to what Daddy was.

"Boom," Lindsay muttered as she finally got into the package her mother had sent.

Danny folded his arms for a moment as he watched Lindsay carefully unwrapped the bubble wrap packaging.

"Oh my god," Lindsay gushed, "Lucy! It's Mommy's decorations from when she was a little girl!"

Danny smiled proudly to himself. "Well gee, look at that baby!"

If Lindsay hadn't been so excited, the tone in Danny's voice would have given away the fact that he knew exactly what was in the box. But, because she was nearly high on the festive joy and excitement for her daughter's first Christmas, it was completely undetected.

"Oh my god! No way! Look Lucy, you see this? This was from when Mommy got her first pony! Grandpa went out on Christmas Eve and drove like... Mommy doesn't even know how far to get me this..."

"Oh my... Lindsay, don't tell her that! I'm not payin' to keep a damn pony!"

Lindsay examined the delicate and fragile horse ornament dangling the loop over her fingers and swinging it lightly so that it caught Lucy's attention. "Do you see the horsey, Lu?"

"She sees it, can we now hide it?"

Lindsay glared up at Danny before breaking into a smile as she rummaged further into the box of carefully wrapped ornaments and pulled out the next one.

"From my first Christmas ballet recital!" Lindsay gushed as she opened up the next ornament and dangled the ballerina in front of Lucy; the pink and glitter of the dancer's outfit caught Lucy's attention and caused the little girl to reach out eagerly to grab the pretty decoration.

"And enter Daddy," Danny laughed as he carefully extracted the decoration from Lindsay's fingertips and examined it himself. "You used to wear little costumes like that?"

Lindsay giggled as she rooted in the small box for another ornament, "Yeah, why?"

"Nothin'," Danny shrugged as he stood and hung the delicate decoration on the tree. "I could just get used to seein' Lu in something as sweet as that. That's all."

"You want her to do ballet?"

"I wouldn't say no," Danny shrugged. "I want her to get involved in all sorts of stuff. I'd kill to go to a Christmas Ballet recital with my video camera set up, watching her every move and get to see all the dance routines she'd been practicin' for months..."

"... And then showing it to her husband in twenty years over a beer."

"Twenty?!" Danny swallowed. "Forty."

"Moving on..." Lindsay giggled as she reached for the final item that remained in the package. "It's a new one..."

Carefully extracting the small box from the package, Lindsay set the box on her knee that Lucy wasn't sat squirming on. With her free hand, she opened the gift tag and read out loud.

_To Lucy;_

_Here's one to help you catch up with your Mommy,_

_Love, Grandma._

"Look Lucy, it's for you!"

Lucy's eyes lit up as her little hand went for the ornament that was now laid in Lindsay's palm.

Lucy's tiny finger trailed the doll's porcelain features, and giggled excitedly as she glanced up at her mother, to her Daddy, and then back to the ornament.

"Look Lu, you see what it says?" Danny smiled as he shuffled closer to his wife and daughter. "Look," he was showing Lindsay more than his 10 month old, "you see what it says there?"

Lindsay narrowed her eyes as she took a look at what Danny was pointing at. _"Lucy's first Christmas, 2009."_

Lindsay glanced up at her husband and pressed a kiss to his nose, before giving Lucy an Eskimo kiss, mindful of the Precious Moments Christmas decoration she still held in her hand.

"Look on the back."

Lindsay narrowed her brow, "Huh?"

"Turn it over," Danny said as he carefully took Lindsay's hand and helped her turn the small ornament in her hand.

_"Love, Mommy and Daddy."_

Her eyes filled with tears as Danny let go of her hand and sat back on his knees.

"C'mere Lu, come to daddy, shall we hang it on the tree?"

Lucy giggled as her bright blue eyes shone with excitement as Lindsay shuffled back on their floor while Danny ensured that the area around them was clear and free of anything that may cause Lucy to trip.

Lindsay took a deep breath as she set her daughter on her feet and held her hands to steady her, before she let go. "Go to Daddy baby, go to Daddy Lucy."

With her first step, Lucy plummeted to the floor and tears filled her eyes.

"Come on," Lindsay said; her voice merry, trying to ensure that no tears were split. "Let's get you back on your feet, baby girl."

Lucy sighed and flailed her arms a little, already sick of the game that her parents tried to play with her so often.

Danny set Lucy's new ornament to the side of him on the floor and held his arms out; encouraging Lucy to head in his direction. "Come on baby girl; come help Daddy put your ornament on the tree!"

Lucy giggled and took a shaky step in Danny's direction.

Now, she'd been taking the odd few steps, then falling and then falling again once she'd gotten back onto her feet. But this time though, Danny could tell that his and Lindsay's daughter had quite the look of determination on her face.

A look of determination that reminded him of the woman that he adored who was sat ready to catch his daughter if she fell.

"Go on, Lu... Go to daddy, sweetheart." Lindsay prompted.

Lucy paused and contemplated turning in her mother's direction to smile at her, but continued her slow and steady footsteps to Danny.

What had been a family decorating session, had turned into a Lucy walking session; the tree and decorations literally being shoved to one side as she wobbled her way from one parent to the other.

Lucy extended her arms as she made the final step towards Danny, and collapsed on his lap, big smiles as she did so.

"LUCY!" Lindsay cried as she quickly shuffled across their living room floor, "Lucy! You did it!"

Lucy squealed as she clapped her hands together; slightly unaware of what was going on exactly... But whatever was going on; she'd been a good girl and Mommy and Daddy were happy about something.

So that called for happy smiles and hand clapping.

Danny wrapped his arms around Lucy's belly and snuggled her close to his chest as he blew a raspberry to her chubby cheek. "Who's Daddy's little walkin' princess?"

Lindsay snuggled closer into Danny's side as he carefully let Lucy flop onto his lap, her little legs swinging, while he wrapped his arm around Lindsay's shoulders and pressed a kiss to her temple.

Lindsay moved her hand that had been supporting her body and used her husband's body as a support before she moved her hand to Danny's face as he turned to face Lucy again. She stopped him and turned his head slightly to face her again; where her lips met his in a soft kiss of celebration for the milestone their daughter had just reached.

Lindsay sighed against his lips; a sigh of happiness at how content she finally was in her life.

Danny returned the sigh and began to test the waters of deepening their kiss.

"TEE DADA!"

"I'm sorry," Danny laughed softly against Lindsay's lips before turning and craning his neck so that he was looking at his daughter in her bright blue eyes. "I was under the impression you just tried to say tree, Miss Messer."

"TEE!" Lucy cried as she pointed desperately at her ornament that sat forgotten on the floor. "Tee Mama, Tee!"

"You want to put your Angel on the tree?" Lindsay asked her daughter as she crawled over to the base of the tree and gazed up at the half decorated tree as she handed Lucy her tree decoration. "Where does Lucy want to put it?"

Danny stood up and held Lucy on his hip as Lindsay quickly stood and began searching the tree with her eyes to find a perfect place for Lucy's tree ornament.

"Where c'ha think Lu?" Danny asked his little girl. "Where'd you want it?"

Lucy put her finger in her mouth briefly before pointing randomly at the tree. "Eee!"

"There?" Lindsay asked as she dangled the tree ornament. "What do you think Daddy?"

"I think it's perfect," Danny smiled brightly at his baby daughter. "What about you, Mommy? What do you think?"

"I think Lucy made a perfect choice. Are you going to help Mommy put it on the tree, Lu?"

Lucy nodded excitedly and wiggled in Danny's arms, desperate to get to Lindsay to put the ornament on the tree.

"Do you think she understands?" Danny asked quietly as Lindsay held the loop for Lucy to grab hold of the porcelain ornament. "Like she understands that she's putting something on a tree?"

"I think she knows this loop goes around that branch," Lindsay said with a smile on her face. "And that's enough for me."

Danny smiled as he carefully stepped closer to the tree as Lindsay guided Lucy's fingers and the loop of the ornament to Lucy's picked tree branch.

"Ta-da!" Lindsay cried once the decoration was securely on the branch. "Well done, Lucy!"

Lucy whipped her head around and smiled brightly at Danny; waiting for his praise and reaction.

"Daddy's so proud of you baby girl."

Lucy grinned proudly and wiggled in Danny's arms. "Ugh!"

"You wanna get down?" Danny asked tentatively before crouching down and setting Lucy on their living room floor.

Lindsay sat on her knees, patted her thighs and smiled brightly at her baby girl. "Come to Mommy, baby. Come on, come to Mommy."

Danny held Lucy's hands for a moment as he steadied her; while he let her take her first step towards Lindsay.

Both parents held their breath as they watched their baby girl take short, steady steps towards her Mommy. Both were ready to catch her if she fell; just out of their protective mentality. Both knew they should really leave to fall to her butt, and she'd pick herself back up.

Lindsay blinked as she outstretched her arms to Lucy, "One more step sweetheart," Lindsay whispered to her daughter, whispering only to ensure that Lucy's look of concentration wasn't broken.

Lucy's fingertips reached Lindsay's, and Lindsay swept her baby girl onto her lap as she showered her baby with kisses.

"You did so good honey!" Lindsay cried as she snuggled an excited Lucy to her chest. "Mommy's so proud of you."

Danny settled with his legs laid out in front of him, ready for if Lucy wanted to keep on going with her walking gig. But until she decided she wanted to head back to him, he sat and watched his wife and daughter giggle and squeal together.

The Christmas joy around them had been briefly forgotten in the excitement of Lucy's first proper steps; but the decorations, the lights and the festive season added to the elation that Danny was currently feeling.

He blinked and smiled brightly as he watched Lindsay suspend Lucy in the air slightly so that their noses were touching; eliciting shrieks and giggles from his daughter.

It was then that Danny realised that being a poster family for a Hallmark commercial wasn't actually that bad... Not when you had a wife and daughter amazing as what he himself did.

And, right there in that moment... Hallmark didn't have a thing on them.

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**Thanks for reading :)**


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